WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:04.959 Well, happy Palm Sunday and Master Sunday. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:09.279 Equally religious holidays for most of you. 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:13.439 And for especially those that aren't here, because they just can't, right? 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:30.800 Like because Master Sunday is just that important that they need to be preparing at home with Live from the Masters, which apparently is just like eight hours of reviewing yesterday and making sort of aimless forecasting for what will happen later today. 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:33.119 That's what Live from the Masters is. 00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:36.719 As I've been watching it every day, doing that also. 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:51.280 So we're going to jump right into the Palm Sunday text where Jesus is entering Jerusalem, headed to the cross, Good Friday, thinking of resurrection Sunday, next Sunday. 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:54.159 Luke 19, verse 28. 00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:59.280 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:15.359 When he drew near to Beth Page and Bethany at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied on which no one has ever yet sat, untie it and bring it here. 00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:20.719 If anyone asks you, Why are you untying it, you shall say, This, the Lord has need of it. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:25.120 So those who were sent away found it just as he had told them. 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:30.000 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, Why are you untying the colt? 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:32.159 And they said, The Lord has need of it. 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:35.920 And they brought it to Jesus, throwing their cloaks on the colt. 00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:39.760 They sat, they sat Jesus on it. 00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:41.120 So a few points. 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:47.760 Point number one is this is Jesus is the humble king, compassionate and gentle to us. 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:50.640 Jesus is the humble king, compassionate and gentle to us. 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:55.120 Listen to the humility in these two verses about Jesus. 00:01:55.359 --> 00:02:00.560 John 10, 11, I am the good shepherd. 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:04.799 The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:06.799 Hebrews 4, 15. 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:18.240 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:25.520 So the way to say that in the positive, it would be Christ can sympathize with us. 00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:28.000 So Jesus is on the Mount of Olives. 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:34.319 It's a two-mile ridge, about 300 feet above the city of Jerusalem. 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:37.919 And they bring him a donkey, a symbol of peace, right? 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:43.280 Not a war horse, not prestige, but a donkey, humble. 00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:44.479 Right? 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:47.599 Jesus is relational, he's compassionate. 00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:54.319 Maybe you remember last October when the Braves were in the World Series, right? 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:58.639 And suddenly people like me became fans for eight days. 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:00.960 I was an eight-day fan. 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:04.479 Somebody told me this morning the Braves season started. 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:05.280 Didn't know. 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:06.960 Didn't know it started. 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:11.439 I probably was not going to be aware of that until the next World Series. 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:16.560 But when we were in the World Series, I watched like three or four innings of a game. 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:19.520 It was long, those three innings. 00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:21.759 Like it was like a long stretch of time. 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:24.560 It was baseball year, kind of like dog years, baseball years. 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:26.080 It was a long stretch of time. 00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:27.680 And it was amazing, right? 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:29.039 And they won, right? 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:30.159 And then the parade. 00:03:30.240 --> 00:03:31.759 Did anybody go to the parade? 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:33.120 Some people, a few of you. 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:34.319 Nobody went to the parade. 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:36.400 Some people didn't go to the parade because I've seen the pictures. 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:37.199 I didn't go. 00:03:37.360 --> 00:03:38.639 Not surprising. 00:03:39.039 --> 00:03:41.360 People came from all over Georgia. 00:03:41.599 --> 00:03:47.039 They drove like three, four, five hours to come to the Braves Parade. 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:48.479 They spent the night in hotels. 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:51.599 They woke up early to line the streets, right? 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:54.319 And most of the parade was pretty good. 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:58.240 But the part that got on the news, do you remember the part that got on the news? 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:01.759 Is where the players, these heroes, our heroes. 00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:05.919 Our heroes are on these buses and you know the double decker. 00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:06.800 They're up top. 00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:10.719 And they're flying by at like 25 miles per hour. 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:12.319 A parade, that's not parade speed. 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:14.560 I know when we say 25, you're like, well, that's still pretty slow. 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:16.000 Not at parade speed. 00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:17.120 That's really fast. 00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:20.639 They're flying by at 25 miles per hour. 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:24.000 One guy posted this picture, the inside of one of the buses. 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:27.040 That was the inside of one of the buses. 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:28.879 Found that online this week. 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:30.959 It's actually the driver. 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:33.040 So here's what I know. 00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:36.800 Some hearts were devastated, right? 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:44.480 Like if you're like a little 12-year-old boy or 11-year-old girl, and you're huge brace, I don't know, 50-year-old man, I don't know. 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:56.240 Maybe you, maybe you're standing there on the side of the street, and like you're gonna see, you're so you're there, you're ready, you woke up early, and then they just fly by and you just whoa, you couldn't even get a picture, right? 00:04:56.560 --> 00:05:04.480 Not relational, not humble, not approachable, distant, untouchable. 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:10.959 Lots of powerful people enter in a prestigious way. 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:18.879 Tiger came to the masters in his Gulf Stream G550, okay? 00:05:19.199 --> 00:05:22.399 It didn't show up in my 2008 Toyota Forerunner. 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:24.160 It's not what he showed up in. 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:28.800 The G550, I Googled it this morning, about 60 million. 00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:32.079 Okay, if you want to go get one, seats 20 people. 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:34.720 So if you have one, I have a family of five. 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:36.800 We'll just take up one little portion. 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:38.800 Won't even know we're there. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:40.160 You won't know. 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:44.160 Jesus shows up on a donkey. 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:49.040 I mean, he could have shows up, showed up in all the pomp and prestige that he he wanted to. 00:05:50.480 --> 00:06:03.839 See, Jesus became lowly for us to not just reverently worship him, which we do, but because he affectionately walks with us. 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:05.680 Let me say that again. 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:07.439 Jesus became lowly. 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:17.759 So it's not just we reverently, fearfully worship him, which we do, but because he affectionately walks with us. 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:21.920 Luke 19, 36. 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:26.879 As he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:41.600 As he was drawing near, already on the way down the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:44.319 Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:52.720 So point number two is this through the Spirit and the Word, our expectations of Him transform to knowledge of Him. 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:59.920 We have expectations of God and of Jesus, and they need to transform into knowledge of who He really is. 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:03.519 Now that's not to say we're gonna figure out everything about God. 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:12.160 Part of our growth in grace by the Spirit is to grow in understanding of God, even if it's fractional. 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:16.160 And we're gonna do that by loving and learning the word. 00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:25.279 And we let go of all these self-created expectations that we project onto Him. 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:34.000 A few months ago, our family went to the Universal Volcano Bay Water Park in Orlando. 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:36.720 In the middle of the park is this massive volcano. 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:39.680 If you've ever driven through, there it is, that's the volcano. 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:41.040 It's right along the expressway. 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:46.160 If you've ever driven through Orlando, you see this huge, you know, fake volcano over on the side. 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:47.279 Massive, massive. 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:58.560 We've been seeing it for years, and finally we're at the water park, and I had already decided this year if my girls go up that volcano to the body plunge slide. 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:00.160 I am I'm going. 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:01.759 I'm not gonna be the old dad. 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:03.040 I'm going up. 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:05.920 Like I am gonna show up and go up there. 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:12.639 And so, sure enough, my two oldest daughters they head up 125 feet up. 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:16.160 And once you're up there, you climb in a vault. 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:17.120 There's the vault. 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:17.759 That's not me. 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:19.920 Found it on the internet, some random guy. 00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:23.199 And you're just looking at 125 feet up. 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:29.120 You're waiting in line, you get a little more and more nervous once you're up there. 00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:31.839 There's one lifeguard up there, she controls the whole deal. 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:34.080 You step in, see-through floor. 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:36.399 Thank you very much for that. 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:37.360 Add-on. 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:39.120 I don't trust that at all. 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:40.799 Right? 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:52.799 You just you step through and you're looking down, and then she closes that vault door with one button, she has another button, and it's all like 10-year-olds, and then me, right? 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:54.399 Like that's what's going on here. 00:08:55.840 --> 00:09:02.240 And she's, you know, one, she's counting out, and you can, two, three, hits it. 00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:08.080 Then you know, the next kid goes in, he's like, hey, eight-year-old little boy, one, two, drops them. 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:09.919 Like, he has no idea. 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:13.679 Next kid goes in, he goes in, he starts freaking out. 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:15.840 She just drops them, doesn't even count. 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:17.519 Brutal. 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:19.279 It was brutal. 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:27.200 Like once they're in, like, then oldest daughter goes in. 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:28.559 One, two, three. 00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:29.120 She's gone. 00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:30.000 Hope she lived. 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:31.279 You don't know where she went, right? 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:32.559 You have no idea. 00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:35.679 Next daughter goes in, right? 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:37.519 And I'm like, well, if she goes, I'm going. 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:42.320 Like, this is my only chance of not going is that she backs out, and I'm like, well, I gotta walk down with you, you know. 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:46.080 So she that then she goes, I couldn't believe I couldn't believe it that she did it. 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:48.159 Like, but but once you're in there, lifeguard's got you. 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:50.639 Like, you don't you don't have a you don't have a chance at this. 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:53.120 And she goes, boom, right? 00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:54.159 Like, gone. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:55.759 Who knows where she went. 00:09:57.120 --> 00:09:59.519 And we could create expectations of the lifeguard. 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:08.000 We all are, as we're like our turns showing up, is you're like, you're you're thinking, like, she's gonna drop me on three, like she's gonna be nice to me, she'll she'll do that. 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:14.559 But like we could create expectations for her, but it's very clear this relationship, like we are the recipient. 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:18.000 She is in she is in charge, she's in charge. 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:30.720 In I climb, and I climb in, clear floor, thing closes, and then she just nothing, like she's just letting me sweat it out in there. 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:36.080 One, two, three, four, five. 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:37.919 I'm I'm looking at her like, what, like what? 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:39.120 Boom, come on, like right. 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:44.080 And I'm like, I mean, she has done that so many times, the dabs, right? 00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:47.440 Like, she has that dialed in perfectly. 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:48.799 Perfect. 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:59.200 Whatever my expectations were of her, they were not met, that is for sure, because it was not a very clean, like one, two, three, okay, sweetheart, okay, okay, buddy. 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:01.840 Okay, one, two, three, you know, drop you, right? 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:02.960 No, no, no, no. 00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:08.399 Like, and to try to even attempt to hold on to my expectations of her would be silly, really, right? 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:11.519 Because I'm just like, I'm I've created these myself. 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:13.360 Like, she's actually in charge. 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:26.879 And if I want to know, if I actually really wanted to know her and how she does that, and like why she does it, and like over time, how she's like gameplay in that, I would actually need to go and like get to know her. 00:11:27.039 --> 00:11:28.960 I can't just project onto her. 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:32.159 I would need to inquire of the lifeguard. 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:39.519 This is why God gives us Jesus, that in Jesus we can begin to understand who God is. 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:46.879 And it's why we have the word, it's why we should learn to love the word and go to the word. 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:54.960 The people on the streets in Luke 19, they're pilgrims that have come into the city for Passover. 00:11:55.039 --> 00:12:03.919 They hear this Jesus is coming in, and they think they're projecting onto him their expectations because they're thinking we're gonna get a political deliverance. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:07.360 Just like King David delivered the Israelites from their enemy. 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:13.360 Now we're gonna line the streets, Jesus is gonna come in, and he's gonna free us from Rome. 00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:23.360 We so easily project on to Jesus, but he has his own mission and his purposes that are beyond our comfort. 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:26.720 Very clearly, it's everything we've experienced in our life. 00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:45.519 And mostly here in this story, he's coming in to go to the cross, to take on our sin, to give us his righteousness, to bring us into relationship with the Heavenly Father, secured by His word for us, not our word for Him. 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:49.840 Two common false expectations I thought of this week. 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:56.879 False expectation number one, because I love God, God will make everything comfortable and prosperous. 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:02.799 I probably believe that more than I want to admit. 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:08.240 Has anybody been let down by that false expectation? 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:11.039 Like even this week, you ever been let down by that one? 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:14.879 That's just not true. 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:20.080 False expectation number two. 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:25.440 Because I am good and I perform, God then loves me. 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:29.039 We talk about this all the time in our church. 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:30.399 We see it in the Pharisees. 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:37.039 If I obey all the law, if I get my act together just right, then God will forgive me. 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:41.039 But He dies on the cross for sinners while they're sinners. 00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:43.279 And for us. 00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:50.960 And we're never obedient enough and never put together enough, we've never performed enough, and pretending certainly doesn't work. 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:53.360 We need God's word for us on the cross. 00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:54.399 We need it. 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:56.320 So what does this mean for your life? 00:13:56.639 --> 00:13:59.360 Maybe here are a few thoughts, just three ideas. 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:07.440 Christ as humble king means I don't perform for his love, but receive his love. 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:13.600 We are in a position of restful receiving. 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:24.639 God humbles himself to pursue us in his love, and we are freed from performance orientation and shame motivation faith as our faith is in his word for us. 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:33.279 Number two, Christ as humble king means I don't have to be the king of my heart or my world. 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:36.799 It means there's an authority outside of yourself. 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:39.600 We are creations to a creator. 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:46.399 I'm free from trying to have to control everything, then I will be at peace. 00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:57.360 Rather, I can seek my peace that even while I'm a mess and my world is not perfect, I still have a God who's at work. 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:00.159 And the story's not over. 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:03.200 And we have a home, like we just prayed. 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:08.159 We have a home that we are headed toward that is not this world. 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:18.320 Number three, Christ as humble king means I may not understand everything about God, but in Jesus I know God is compassionate and gentle. 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:20.799 Right? 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:23.039 We're not going to understand everything about God. 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:24.480 Why would we even pretend to? 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:26.320 It wouldn't be very exciting. 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:31.600 But in Jesus, we can begin to understand God's regard of us. 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:34.720 He's compassionate, he's gentle. 00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:36.720 Luke 19, verse 39. 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:40.720 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:46.879 He answered, I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:49.600 Last point, point number three. 00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:53.039 We are called into the joy of worshiping God. 00:15:54.080 --> 00:16:03.600 Luke said, Not only will God's people worship, but if they ceased, if we ceased, that God doesn't all of a sudden get fidgety. 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:04.720 Oh no. 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:10.159 No, like even the creation is crying out worship to him, giving worth to him. 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:16.399 We are called as his children in relationship with him and worship, which gives meaning. 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:18.799 You know, like your cubicle job. 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:22.000 It's just, you know, you won't pull your hair out, right? 00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:25.039 Or your drive down the expressway. 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:32.320 All the parts of our life that can feel so purposeless, the call to worship can bring purpose into it. 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:36.240 That our lives were called and meant for worship. 00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:43.200 We have a purpose even beyond how much money we have or how much we can earn or what our giftedness is or what relationships we have. 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:48.080 We are called to be worshipful children. 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:50.799 Now, back to Hebrews 4.15. 00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:51.759 I read the verse earlier. 00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:56.559 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:00.799 So the positive way to say it, Christ sympathizes with you. 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:06.480 The word sympathize is the idea of with suffering. 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:11.599 Jesus is drawn and moves toward our weakness. 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:14.960 He welcomes us while we're weak. 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:16.559 He loves us while we're weak. 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:18.720 He works in us while we're weak. 00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:33.039 That means your loneliness and your pain and your frustration and even our own sin does not separate us from his love for us. 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:36.160 He's actually drawn to that weakness. 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:39.599 He's with us. 00:17:41.119 --> 00:17:45.599 There's a story a few days after Jesus enters Jerusalem. 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:49.920 He's having the feast of the Passover with his disciples. 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:51.680 We call it the Last Supper. 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:58.400 And at that supper, Christ, God in flesh, he gets up from the table. 00:17:58.480 --> 00:17:59.279 Do you remember what he does? 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:03.759 He puts a towel around his waist and he begins to wash the disciples' feet. 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:06.640 He takes on the role of a servant, a slave. 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:17.359 So he comes into the city, comes into the city lowly and humble, comes to a meal with his disciples, and he takes on the role of servant. 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:22.000 There's a scene that hit me this week, John 13, 23. 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:29.359 Hebrew scholar Eugene Peterson, he paints the picture and imagery this way in the message Bible. 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:38.960 One of the disciples, the one Jesus loved dearly, was reclining against him, his head on his shoulder. 00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:42.160 Isn't that a beautiful image to think about? 00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:51.920 I mean, it kind of feels a little odd if you think about a 30-year-old man and a 20-year-old man, you know, and the 20-year-old guy has his head on the 30-year-old guy's shoulder. 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:54.640 It's not like a small group, I'm interested in attending. 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:57.119 It just feels weird to me. 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:08.000 But if you think about it in terms of you're at the end of yourself, and you and somebody hugs you. 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:16.079 Or you think about it in terms of you're so comfortable with somebody that you fall asleep. 00:19:16.319 --> 00:19:17.759 And you just say you fall asleep. 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:23.200 You ever been on a plane, you get super comfortable, and you you know you're leaning over on buddy next to you all of a sudden, you know, oh sorry. 00:19:23.359 --> 00:19:28.160 You know, like if you think about it in that way, it starts to make a little more sense. 00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:34.480 This is Andre del Castagno's The Last Supper of Christ with St. 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:37.519 John, painted in 1447. 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:47.200 It's an interesting painting because we have John next to Jesus there in the middle, and a peaceful rest. 00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:56.400 And then we have Judas right in front of the table, just in a kind of rigid, uncomfortable posture. 00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:57.200 Right? 00:19:57.279 --> 00:19:59.599 Like Judas has something to hide. 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:02.960 John has nothing to hide. 00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:03.680 Right? 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:07.440 He's so at peace and comfortable with this Jesus. 00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:09.920 John has something figured out. 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.000 I mean, this this guy later writes in 1 John that God is love. 00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:15.200 There's no fear. 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:17.039 We see it here, don't we? 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:23.279 It made me think of the image that we looked at two weeks ago, Charles Macasee's the prodigal son. 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:37.200 Remember, this is Macasey's image for that rebel son, broken, beaten, worn and weary, being embraced by that loving, running father, the father who runs toward the son, embraces him. 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:47.200 I think this is actually a lot like the John and Jesus imagery that John 13, 23 is painting for us. 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:51.440 Not so much buddy to buddy, but like child to father. 00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:53.759 Right? 00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:56.480 The person in the place that we can finally rest. 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:04.880 The place we finally find forgiveness and righteousness and welcome and acceptance. 00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:10.799 So let me close as I did two weeks ago. 00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:16.319 Two weeks ago I closed with the writing that Macassie did behind his painting, The Prodigal Daughter. 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:20.400 Let me close this week reading the writing behind that one, The Prodigal Son. 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:21.680 Here's what Macasee wrote. 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:23.119 I'll read this in closing. 00:21:24.880 --> 00:21:26.880 I think this John understood this. 00:21:27.519 --> 00:21:28.079 It's our story. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:29.440 It's John's story, it's our story. 00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:31.119 It's everybody's story. 00:21:31.359 --> 00:21:33.599 This is the story of the prodigal son. 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:36.720 It should really be called the running father. 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:39.839 Who waited every day for his boy to return. 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:42.079 The boy who had rejected him so badly. 00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:48.880 And finally, when he saw him from a long way off, his father ran to him and hugged him and kissed him. 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:50.559 Let's pray together. 00:21:50.960 --> 00:22:01.519 God, thank you for your word that reveals to us who you are and what you have done for us. 00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:09.039 Thank you for the gift of Jesus this Palm Sunday. 00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:13.680 Forgive us for our expectations that we project onto you. 00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:26.880 May we accept who you are for us as our very forgiveness and our very righteousness, our security, our union with you. 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:35.279 Thank you that you are a God of mercy and love and welcome and acceptance. 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:43.119 Help us to be children called into even greater trust and greater worship. 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:48.000 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:48.960 Amen.